Dan Andrews Just Accused Scott Morrison Of Cuddling Up To Extremists
"I’m not about chasing, through doublespeak, the votes of extremists or their preferences.”
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has slammed Prime Minister Scott Morrison for “pandering to extremists” and look, he has a point.
Last week, Andrews — along with WA Premier Mark McGowan and Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles — slammed the Morrison’s “dangerous views”.
“We have seen extremists, rabid anti-vaxxers and others making all sorts of threats, threats against me, my wife and my kids,” Andrews told the Today show on Friday. “I‘m committed to doing what has to be done. I’m not about chasing, through doublespeak, the votes of extremists or their preferences.”
But he has doubled down on these comments over the weekend, point-blank accusing the PM of cuddling up to extremists.
“On Friday I made some comments about the prime minister and the way he’s been conducting himself,” Andrews said in a press conference.“I don’t need to add to those comments.”
“I don’t speak in double speak. I was very clear.”
“The government’s not entitled to double speak. The government’s not entitled to cuddle up to extremists.”
“There are many people who are feeling frustrated,” said Morrison, condemning the death threats against Andrews and his family, while still being sympathetic to those who made such threats.
“It’s time for governments to step back and for Australians to take their lives back.”
Morrison’s comments were later backed by Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who asserted that vaccine mandates are “segregation”.
“I think the prime minister has made a perfectly sensible remark here. That is, that the states in the plan they’ve signed up to, the commitment they gave to the country is when we got to 80 per cent double vaccination rate we would go back to having to live with this,” he said on the Today show on Friday.
“You cannot segregate a part of the community, even if you disagree with the decision they’ve made, and we are moving into a phase now where we have to live with this virus.”
Protests are expected to continue this weekend, with United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly already promoting a “Millions March” on social media on Monday morning.